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    I was a staff member at a US university for 20 years. Anytime I got an email that apologized for writing it, I tossed in the trash without reading any further.
    – NomadMaker
    Commented Feb 8, 2021 at 22:14
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    @NomadMaker Why? Did you only want to correspond with a certain kind of person? Commented Feb 9, 2021 at 0:54
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    @NomadMaker Perhaps it might be worth reflecting on whether a process that involves deliberately ignoring everybody who contacts you without a requisite amount of confidence and boldness could be outright discriminatory? I am thinking in particular of differences in communication styles that are often socialized through cultural and gender differences. Some people are taught from an early age to apologize frequently, and that manifests in their writing; they're just as worth listening to as anyone else. Commented Feb 9, 2021 at 3:48
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    @NomadMaker Personally I immediately ignore anyone who doesn't approach me with the correct amount of groveling and apology. Anyone who assumes that what they have to say is worth my time is obviously over-inflating their own importance and thus clearly an unfit judge of how important something is. Someone who recognizes that they are unworthy of even being in my presence is at least likely to keep it to the absolute minimum necessary and only present the truly important things. Commented Feb 9, 2021 at 14:49
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    @NomadMaker: Due to the Dunning-Kruger effect, many brilliant people might feel the need to apologize for the things they still don't know, while ignoramuses won't even care and write e-mails full of confidence. You're free to read the emails you want. Commented Feb 9, 2021 at 16:35